The Quote

To the subdued strains of the orchestra there seems to appear in the midst of a shower of light, a cascade of gold and diamonds in an Oriental setting, a deity wrapped in misty gauze, a sylph enveloped in a luminous halo, who moves forward, apparently without touching the floor. In her presence the flowers bloom, the dance awakens, satyrs, demons, angels, shepherds, and shepherdesses dance, shake their tambourines, and whirl about in rhythmic evolution, each one placing some tribute at the feet of the goddess…

- Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere

The Painting

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, 1486. An almost literal representation of the tale of the goddess Venus rising fully formed (being born) from the sea.